Political Commentary & Opinion
Analysis, commentary, and opinion essays on politics and policy from The Daily Signal’s contributors and experts.
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news
57 Years Later: A Look Back at NASA in 13 Pictures
President Eisenhower signed the National Aeronautics and Space Act exactly 57 years ago today, in 1958. This legislation created the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) with the mission of establishing an American presence on the final frontier. "[A]ctivities in space should be devoted to peaceful purposes for the benefit of all mankind," the act… -
news
Do Families in Red or Blue States Have Greater Stability? What a Study Found.
Contrary to what has been accepted as conventional wisdom, America’s red counties have a higher percentage of stable families than those in blue counties. According to a study from the Institute for Family Studies, red counties tend to have more married adults, more children born within marriage and higher levels of children living with both… -
news
March of Dimes Admits 5 Local Chapters Donated to Planned Parenthood
March of Dimes, an organization that seeks to end premature birth, is facing criticism from its supporters for donations local chapters made to Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion provider. The controversy comes amid the release of undercover videos about Planned Parenthood's alleged sale of aborted fetal body parts. Lawmakers in Washington have vowed to cut off… -
news
Anti-Planned Parenthood Protests Nationwide: ‘This Is Only the Beginning’
CONCORD, N.H. – Protests against Planned Parenthood took place nationwide today in light of three undercover videos released by the Center for Medical Progress showing senior Planned Parenthood executives discussing the sale of fetal organs. The third video, released today, shows Planned Parenthood staffers dissecting the remains of an aborted fetus and discussing the sale… -
news
Conservative Congressman Seeks to Oust John Boehner as House Speaker
Days before the U.S. House is planning to adjourn for its month-long recess, Speaker John Boehner is facing yet another challenge from the right. Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., today filed a motion to remove Boehner as speaker. “I couldn’t be silent any longer," says @RepMarkMeadows Meadows' "motion to vacate the chair" accuses Boehner of trying… -
opinion
Q&A: Turkey’s New Push to Fight ISIS And What It Means for US
Turkey, a NATO member, conducted multiple airstrikes over the weekend in both Syria and Northern Iraq. Here’s what you need to know from Luke Coffey, Margaret Thatcher fellow at The Heritage Foundation and a U.S. Army veteran. Q: Whom is Turkey fighting, and where have they launched air strikes? A: Turkey says it is fighting… -
opinion
Recent Terrorist Arrests Highlight al-Qaeda Threat in Bangladesh
In early July, Bangladeshi police arrested a dozen members of al-Qaeda’s branch in the Indian subcontinent (AQIS). The arrests bring the emerging al-Qaeda threat in Bangladesh to the forefront and underscore the importance of U.S. engagement with the country. The 12 suspects were arrested in three separate raids in Dhaka by the Rapid Action Battalion… -
opinion
The ISIS Crisis
The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), the Islamic State (IS), the Daesh—these are various names given to the Islamist extremists whom nearly everyone has heard of by now. At the start of this year’s Aspen Security Forum, FBI Director James Comey noted, “ISIL is… -
news
Planned Parenthood Faces Allegations From Former Clinic Worker in Graphic New Video
A new documentary-style video was released today about Planned Parenthood’s alleged “black market” in harvesting and selling fetal body parts. The 12-minute video, titled “Human Capital,” features a woman who says she worked for a company that procured tissue and organs for Planned Parenthood clinics describing what she considers the profit motive involved in the harvesting of aborted… -
news
How Planned Parenthood Gets Its Money, Explained in 90 Seconds
In light of recent undercover videos showing Planned Parenthood executives discussing the sale of donated fetal organs, conservative lawmakers are aiming to strip the organization of its taxpayer funding. So how much does Planned Parenthood receive in federal and state funding? How much of its funding is contributed by private donors? Watch the video above… -
news
Study Finds an Increased Rate of Teenage Girls Use Morning-After Pill
An increased number of teenage girls—more than 20 percent—have used the morning-after pill, according to a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 2002, the number of teenagers who have used the morning-after pill increased from 8 percent to 14 percent from 2006 to 2010. From 2011 to 2013, that number… -
news
Meet the 103-Year-Old World War II Vet Still Working
The Fountain of Youth may just be sitting in a Winfield, Kansas Walmart. It’s there that Loren Wade, a Walmart employee since 1983, celebrated his 103rd birthday on Saturday. The Kansas native—who still puts in five-day, 30-hour work weeks—was joined by 200 of his closest family and friends for a daylong outdoor celebration. The party… -
opinion
GOP Leadership Prioritizes Corporate Welfare Over Defunding Planned Parenthood
It’s hard to believe what happened in Washington this weekend. The U.S. Senate attached an amendment resurrecting a dead corporate welfare program to the highway bill while refusing to even allow a vote to end taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood. Conservatives have been fighting to stop the Export-Import Bank, which is a taxpayer-financed bank that… -
opinion
What We Can Learn From Recent Trends in Teen Sexual Activity
More teens are choosing to remain abstinent, according to the latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Since 1991, the percentage of high school students overall who report that they have ever had sex, has dropped by roughly 15 percent. Valerie Huber, president of Ascend (formally known as the National Abstinence Education… -
news
Terror Gone Viral: Here’s How Much ISIS Is Plotting Against the US
Not content with wreaking havoc on the Middle East, ISIS is bringing its terrorism to the West in general, the U.S. specifically and the U.S. military especially. Officials have detected 33 ISIS-related plots against Western targets this year, 26 of them against the U.S., and 19 of those against U.S. military targets. It also has… -
opinion
Kids Don’t Need Two Parents. They Need a Mom and Dad.
Recently at Forbes, John Farrell published an odd critique of an essay of mine that ran at First Things. The essay is an excerpt from my new book, “Truth Overruled: The Future of Marriage and Religious Freedom.” In the book, I argue on the basis of philosophy, social science and public policy that the judicial redefinition… -
opinion
The Big-Government Republican Plan to ‘Fix’ Highway Funding
Congress is once again debating a big-government, tax-and-spend bill that fails to fix a problem that's plagued the federal government for a decade. It's the Senate's version of the highway bill, and this week, lawmakers will vote on the 1,030-page, six-year deal in a misguided attempt to finance new highway and transit spending. American taxpayers… -
opinion
The So-Called Republican Majority Is Advancing Only Washington’s Priorities
The American people elected a Republican majority to the U.S. Senate believing that a Republican majority would be somehow different from a Democratic majority. Unfortunately, the way the current Senate operates, there is one party, the Washington party. Senate leadership consists of the Mitch McConnell-Harry Reid leadership team. They operate as a team. They support… -
opinion
Don’t Resurrect the Ex-Im Bank
There’s always that one moment in a horror film when everyone thinks the villain has been killed, then bam—up he jumps, to the surprise of everyone. That formulaic moment is often part of the fun on-screen. But if the same type of thing were to happen with the Export-Import Bank, it wouldn’t be very entertaining…. -
opinion
Once Again, the Private Option Is Cheaper, More Effective Than Government Program
The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program has many problems. For starters, it will run out of money next year, which could mean 20-percent benefit cuts. The program also suffers from excessive wait times, complicated rules and procedures, inconsistent decisions, deficient rehabilitation services and insufficient protections against fraud. Introducing an optional, private disability insurance component…